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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · field · date · tube · plane · kid · trunk · bank

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bank — for money
  3. kid — to tease
  4. tube — a container
  5. mate — a partner
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mate — a friend
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. kid — child
  11. mate — to breed
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. field — for sport
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — a tool
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. tube — the underground
  18. field — a subject
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. date — the fruit
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com